Administrative divisions of India
The Administrative divisions of India are Indian subnational administrative units; they compose a nested hierarchy of country subdivisions. Indian states and territories frequently use different local titles for the same level of subdivision (e.g., the mandals of Andhra Pradesh correspond to tehsils of Uttar Pradesh and other Hindi-speaking states and taluka of Gujarat and Maharashtra). The smaller subdivisions (villages and blocks) exist only in rural areas. In urban areas Urban Local Bodies exist instead of these rural subdivisions. In the context of the Indian Constitution, local government bodies are the subject of the State List and are thereby governed by State Statutes, or in the case of Union Territories, by the Union Parliament. Federal recognition of local government was substantively expressed in the 74th Constitution Amendment Act of 1992. Zones The States have been grouped into five zones having an Advisory Council 'to develop the habit of cooperative working” among these States. Five Zonal Councils were set up vide Part-III of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956. The present composition of each of these Zonal Councils is as under: The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh; The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh; The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand,Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal; The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli; and The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. States and union territories India is composed of 28 states and 7 union territories (including a national capital territory).http://india.gov.in/knowindia/state_uts.php States and Union Territories of India - Source - Government of India Official Website The union territories are governed by administrators, appointed by the President of India. Two of the territories (Delhi and Pondicherry) have been given partial statehood, with elected legislatures and executive councils of ministers, but limited powers. ;States ;Union territories :See also: ::List of states and union territories of India by population (area can also be found) ::Official languages of India#Languages currently used In Indian states and union territories Regions Some of the states of India are divided into regions. The Regions of India are not official administrative divisions. They have no official administrative governmental status. They are purely geographic regions; some correspond to historic countries, states or provinces. A region may comprise one or more divisions, averaging about three divisions per region. However, the boundaries of the regions and the boundaries of the divisions do not always coincide exactly. So far there has been no movement to give the regions official administrative status. If this was to be done, it would presumably require that the boundaries of the regions be slightly modified so that they correspond exactly with their constituent districts. * Regions of Gujarat * Regions of Kerala * Regions of Maharashtra * Regions of Uttar Pradesh Divisions Some of the Indian states are subdivided into divisions (mandal), each comprising several districts: * Divisions of Andhra Pradesh * Divisions of Arunachal Pradesh * Divisions of Assam * Divisions of Bihar * Divisions of Chhattisgarh * Divisions of Goa * Divisions of Gujarat * Divisions of Haryana * Divisions of Himachal Pradesh * Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir * Divisions of Jharkhand * Divisions of Karnataka * Divisions of Kerala * Divisions of Madhya Pradesh * Divisions of Maharashtra * Divisions of Manipur * Divisions of Meghalaya * Divisions of Mizoram * Divisions of Nagaland * Divisions of Orissa * Divisions of Punjab (India) * Divisions of Rajasthan * Divisions of Sikkim * Divisions of Tamil Nadu * Divisions of Tripura * Divisions of Uttar Pradesh * Divisions of Uttarakhand * Divisions of West Bengal * Divisions of Delhi Districts States and territories (or divisions) are further subdivided into Districts (zilla), of which there are 640. Sub-Districts Tehsils, talukas, blocks or mandals (sub-districts but can also refer to division), headed by a Tehsildar or Talukdar, comprise several villages or village clusters. The governmental bodies at the Tehsil level are called the panchayat samiti. States use varying names for their sub-districts. Detailed information is as follows: Local level Blocks The block is often the next level of administrative division after the tehsil. Hoblis A hobli is a subdivision of a taluka which groups adjoining villages in the state of Karnataka. They may have been made for administrative purposes by the revenue department of the state. Villages Villages are often the lowest level of subdivisions in India. The governmental bodies at the village level are called Gram Panchayat, of which there were an estimated 256,000 in 2002. Each Gram Panchayat covers a large village or a cluster of smaller villages with a combined population exceeding 500 (Gram Group). Clusters of villages are also sometimes called Hobli or Patti. Habitations Certain governmental functions and activities - including clean water availability, rural development, and education - are tracked at a sub-village level.Indian Department of Drinking Water Supply These hamlets are termed "habitations". India is composed of approximately 1.6 million habitations.Indian Department of Drinking Water Supply In some states, most villages have a single habitation; in others (notably Kerala and Tripura) there is a high ratio of habitations to villages.Indian Department of Education Municipalities Municipalities of India are governed by Municipal Corporations (Mahanagar Paalika) for large urban areas, Municipal Council (Nagar Paalika) for smaller urban areas, and Town Councils (Nagar Panchayats) for suburban areas. Municipalities can be as large as a district or smaller than a Tehsil. Historic * Pargana * Sarkar * Subah See also * Autonomous regions of India * Indian states rankings * Local Governance in India External links * Explore places from India hierarchically leading to local information and geographic location on map * Citymayors.com * Example of district with different subdivisions * Seasons, Climate, Global Warming in India - Reference Links Students Project * Municipal Elections References Category:Subdivisions of India Category:Divisions of India